Riley Alexander Essyl:
Riley is an average Hunter with no real memories of his life before the infection (as is the case with any infected), though some things come in like flashes that he can’t explain or describe. Unlike most infected, Riley can understand some bits of language and he's learned how to mimic some small words in order to communicate back–or even to lure survivors into a trap via vocal mimicry. Though it's uncertain where in the biochemical mutation process it stems from, Riley has shown to experience ruts and will become increasingly territorial during. His vision is very weak, only allowing him to see general shapes and colors, and his eyes have some bleeding and self mutilation scratches over them. He is sensitive to the light and therefore more active at night and pipe bombs (and general loud noises) have the opposite effect on him.

When he was alive and well, Riley was born and raised in middle Oklahoma and had a bit of a rough childhood with an abusive father and a lackluster mother who drank to forget her husband’s bad behavior (on top of already being a chain smoker). His father had no problems hitting Riley as a kid and even as a teenager but his mother would never believe that his bruises came from his father. It wasn’t until Riley was about thirteen that his mother was finally witness to his father’s cruel nature, immediately taking her and her son away from the home. The next day, his mother packed all of her and Riley’s things while his father was at work, rented a cheap hotel, and filed for divorce. A few months later, his mother was able to get them a little apartment in the next town over. Riley and his mother tried to bond as best they could over time and while their relationship improves, there’s still a disconnect between the two. When Riley is sixteen, his mother meets another man and is instantly infatuated. This man hardly pays Riley any attention, but Riley could care less. Just a year later, his mother and now step father get married and have a son together named Todd. When Todd is born, he’s not the healthiest baby and over the years he’s constantly getting sick, in and out of hospitals, etc. While their mother is trying her best, Riley’s step father is rather emotionally absent and Riley attaches to Todd and steps up to be an important presence in Todd’s life. At nineteen, when Riley graduates high school, he goes into college almost immediately with an interest in medicine, mostly because of Todd. Riley stayed in his hometown for six years, finishing his Master’s, before moving to middle Indiana. When Riley moved to Indiana to be on his own and work towards his Doctorate, he stays in touch with his mother and Todd, often coming for visits, especially when Todd is back in a hospital or severely sick.

Two years on his own, Riley gets a call from his mother about Todd being severely sick again, but worried that it might be the worst it's ever been. There was talk of a new flu strain going around and with Todd’s horrible immune system, Riley feared the worst, so he booked the earliest flight out. When he landed, neither his mother nor step father were answering, and he caught a ride share as quickly as he could to the house. When he arrived, the door was unlocked and all that could be heard was Todd’s coughing fits. Stepping inside, Riley was met with the horror of seeing his beloved younger brother mutated into a Smoker, kneeling over their mother and eating her insides–no step father in sight. Riley quickly fled the house but didn’t return to Indiana for a few days, completely going MIA. When he finally did return, it was just the start of things.

A few weeks later and the world was starting to crumble down around everyone. Riley always had a bit of an attachment problem (primarily over attaching) and when the world started to go to shit, it just exacerbated that problem. He would cling to his fellow survivors like a lifeline. He fared well on his own for a time. One day, he was sent to scout for supplies and was attacked by a Hunter. The Hunter bit into his left forearm as Riley tried to defend himself. He managed to kill the Hunter before it did any lasting or substantial damage. But while he was immune to common strains, he was not immune to the Hunter strain. He disappeared from his fellow survivors and left himself to decay and shift.

Life as a Hunter wasn’t easy, he had to learn how to live–how to survive again, in his own way. He never truly got accepted into already established packs but instead was able to form his own small pack. He loved every one of them dearly. But life as a Hunter wasn’t easy. And one by one, his pack was picked off and killed until there was only him left. Because of losing his pack, he can be heard whimpering and crying at night sometimes in his little home he’s made for himself in room 23 of the little motel in town.

The Hunter Mutation:

The Hunter is the least visibly mutated Special Infected and superficially resembles a Common Infected. It has yet to be explained how the Hunter's mutations onset, whether it be genetic, biochemical, or a Hunter-specific strain of the virus, but the mutations seem to be sex-linked as only male Hunters have been observed. The Hunter's reaction to the Infection has granted him an increase in lower-body strength.

While not creating massive muscle growth like the Tank, this added strength has given the Hunter the ability to repeatedly jump and pounce from long distances and rapidly scale the sides of buildings with ease, as well as toughened his legs in order to withstand the great distances and heights he can achieve. Decreased pain response visible in all sufferers of the Infection also results in the Hunter not suffering from perpetual lactic acid build up from muscle overexertion or impact damage after experiencing a large fall.

At the same time, there seems to be some sort of muscle delay after an initial attack (post-attack recharge) where the Hunter is not able to move as swiftly. One of the most notable physical observations is that the Hunter lacks eyes. Whether this is self-inflicted, a by-product of the Infection, or both, is unknown.

The extent of damage to the Hunter's sight suggests his other senses are far more developed than those of typical Infected, allowing him to hunt with far greater efficiency. It is possible that the screeching noises he makes and the growling are his own echolocation method. He might also use scent to tell the Survivors apart from Infected. As with the other Special Infected, he is not distracted by such high-frequency noises as Pipe bombs or car alarms going off. Hunters also appear to be the only Infected with a self-defense reflex: when shot at a distance and knowing they cannot pounce, the Hunter will sometimes jump away into safety.